Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Sausage Stuffed Chicken Leg



Sausage Stuffed Chicken Leg

Cooking for my daughter tonight I was inspired by a dish that I cooked many years ago while working at Boulevard Restaurant in San Francisco. The dish was a boneless chicken leg stuffed with locally made Bruce Aidell's sausage. Bruce is the husband of Boulevard's Chef/owner Nancy Oakes, so it made perfect sense for a winning combination.

Tonight I started my version by using a locally-farmed organic chicken leg that I completely boned out while still leaving the meat and skin intact; the chicken leg becomes almost like a sausage casing. The next step is using raw chicken sausage for the filling because of it's flavor and reduced fat. Pork sausage is a good alternative if you choose. Next is to truss the chicken leg closed after filling the cavity with sausage by using toothpicks and butchers string. To cook the leg I simply season it with sea salt and cracked pepper then into a hot pan with a splash of olive oil for a quick sear on all sides, giving it a nice brown color.  The pan then goes into a preheated 400F oven, and after maybe 20-30 minutes it's done (180F internal.) Remove toothpicks and string before serving. I sauteed shaved Brussel sprouts and sliced Yukon gold potatoes to go with it. It was good chicken with a good memory of a past cooking experience.








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